Animation and/or
Computer Animation
Dr. Stephania Loizidou Himona
Associate Professor
Frederick Institute of Technology
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Computer Graphics
deals with
Geometric Modeling
Rendering
Animation ***
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What is Animation?
One-word definition : Vision
The illusion of motion created by the consecutive
display of images of static elements : Persistence of
Vision
The process of bringing life through the use of
motion to lifeless things : e.g. Virtual Reality
The “copying” of the real world, to enhance and to
take the essence of the motion that is there : Level
of Art
The technique by which each frame is produced
individually : In film/video production
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Form generation Form
system Selection
Coloring
Animation Timings
Texture Lighting
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What is Computer
Animation?
The art of creating moving images via
the use of computers
The use of computers to create
animations : also referred to as CGI
(Computer Generated Imagery) –
especially when used in movies
The modeling, motion generation,
addition of surfaces and then
rendering 5
Thus,
Computer Graphics vs Animation
(or, Computer Animation, a subfield)
Inter-related issues
– Difficult to distinguish one from the other.
– Their improvements are done in parallel!
– Their effects …
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However,
Major Part of their difference is that
Animation involves basically and
primarily the concept of
Motion Control
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Different ways of basic CGI
3D Animations, create objects and
then render them
Use standard computer painting tools
to paint single frames and composite
them
Use morphing : modify existing images
and video
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Its Applications
A variety of uses of C.A.
Fun Practical Educational
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Examples :
- Medicine
- Advertising
- Film
- Flight Simulation
- Television
- Simulation
- Entertainment
- Video
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The possibilities
(of the applications) are endless
Architecture, Multimedia, Engineering,
Archeology, Chemistry, Art, Education,
Scientific Visualization, Space Exploration
+anything that you can think of !!!
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How is it done?
Aim : 24 distinct drawings for one
second of animation
produces realistic enough movement!
i.e. perceivable due to way the eye and brain process images
e.g. Human-Body Movement
A Bouncing Ball
A Horse Galloping
etc.
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But, such a process,
Very time-consuming
– Creating the characters
– Programmed the movement(s)
– Rendering (a lot of time)
Very expensive to produce, and often,
Very labor intensive as well as tedious
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Styles and techniques of Animation
Traditional Animation
Character Animation
Limited Animation
Rotoscoping
Computer Animation
Multi-Sketching
Skeletal Animation
Morph-target Animation
Cel-shaded Animation
Onion Skinning
Analogue Computer Animation
Motion Capture
Tradigital Animation
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Styles and techniques of Animation
(continued)
Drawn on Film
Special effects Animation
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To allow Animation to be
viewed on a computer
Graphics file formats exist such as
– GIF
– MNG
– SVG
– Flash (SWF)
etc.
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How is it done
(continued)
Sophisticated mathematics and/or
constructive solid geometry are used
To manipulate complex 3D polygons
To apply textures
To apply lighting
To apply other effects to the polygon
and finally,
To render the complete image
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Sophisticated Graphical
User Interface (GUI)
is used, usually, to create the
animation
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Some examples
(of CGI short films)
Finding Nemo Shrek 1 & 2
ReBoot (the 1st one!) Veggie Tales
Robots Animusic
Chicken Little Bratz
Toy Story 1 & 2 Ice Age
Waking Life Father of the Bride
and many-many more!
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Cartoons Without Politics
(since 2001)
(some more recent examples!)
Films that used CGI,
nominated for Academic Awards :
The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Corpse Bride
Moving Castle
In the future, films with excellent animated
features, but perhaps without CGI!
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What is Rendering?
The process a computer uses to create
an image from a data file
The process of generating the pixels of
an image based on a high-level
description of its components
The process of cutting a
character/object from an image so
that it can be used in designs
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Rendering (continued)
A user handles a mesh – a rough
representation of an object
When s/he is satisfied with the mesh s/he
renders the image
i.e. every section of the mesh gets colored
also, inclusion of hidden-line removal
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Rendering – a lengthy
process
Different methods :
– Flat shading
– Gourad
– Phong
– Ray Tracing
– Radiosity
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Anti-aliasing Inverse Kinematics
Articulations Inverse Dynamics
Binary system Keyframing
Bitmap Modeling
Contouring
Morphing
Coordinate systems
Mesh
Digitizing
Direct Kinematics Onion skinning
Direct Dynamics Pixels
Face Primitives
Fractals Rendering
Human-figure Resolution
animation Surface Mapping
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Some examples !
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The future. What awaits us?
What is expected : The current level of
animation (2D, 3D) to be replaced
with Virtual Reality
i.e. the person watching a movie to see
himself in the movie as a person
watching from the side
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Computer Animation
to become the standard
way of making every
kind of a movie, not just
animated movies
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Realistic simulation of Humans
Photorealistic human characters
Undergoing physically-correct motion
(with clothes, hair, interaction with
other human characters
That is,
No difference from real actors
No difference from the real world
The possibilities are endless!!!
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Art and science meet when
they both seek accuracy
Etienne-Jules Marey (1888)
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